Pannun and Nijjar Cases: U.S. Commission Recommends Action on Modi Govt

Pannun and Nijjar Cases: U.S. Commission Recommends Action on Modi Govt

Under the CPC status for India, USCIRF has asked the U.S. administration to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom.

By Rakesh Raman

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has again recommended a harsh penalty on India for continuous attacks on religious minorities in the country.

In its latest report released on October 2, 2024, USCIRF said religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate. The report adds that the government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) [ of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi ], reinforced discriminatory nationalist policies, perpetuated hateful rhetoric, and failed to address communal violence disproportionately affecting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis (indigenous peoples).

According to USCIRF, Indian authorities also increasingly engaged in acts of transnational repression targeting religious minorities abroad. In September 2023, according to the USCIRF report, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged Indian authorities’ involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, which was followed by a plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States in November 2023. Pannun carries a dual citizenship of the United States and Canada.

In the Pannun case, a U.S. court has summoned various officials in the Modi government for an alleged plot to kill Pannun, who supports the demand for a separate Sikh state Khalistan.

According to an NDTV report of September 19, 2024, the U.S. District Court for Southern District of New York has issued summons in the names of the Government of India (Modi government), National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel, R&AW agent Vikram Yadav, and Indian businessman Nikhil Gupta.

[ Video: ਖਾਲਿਸਤਾਨ ਸਮਰਥਕ ਪੰਨੂ ਦੇ ਕਤਲ ਦੀ ਕੋਸ਼ਿਸ਼ ਮਾਮਲੇ ‘ਚ ਅਮਰੀਕੀ ਅਦਾਲਤ ਨੇ ਮੋਦੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਕੀਤਾ ਸੰਮਨ ]

[ Video: ਅਮਰੀਕਾ ‘ਚ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਨੇ ਪੀਐਮ ਮੋਦੀ ਖਿਲਾਫ ਪ੍ਰਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕੀਤਾ। ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ ਲਈ ਨਵਾਂ ਅਮਰੀਕੀ ਕਾਨੂੰਨ ]

[ Video: ਹਰਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਨਿੱਝਰ, ਗੁਰਪਤਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਪੰਨੂ ਕੇਸ।ਅਮਰੀਕੀ ਕਮਿਸ਼ਨ ਨੇ ਮੋਦੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ‘ਤੇ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਦੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਸਿਫਾਰਿਸ਼ ]

While the U.S. court sought a reply from the Indian respondents within 21 days, as usual a Modi government bureaucrat called the summons “unwarranted” without substantiating his statement.

Meanwhile, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has introduced a bipartisan Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024 which would require the Attorney General, in coordination with other relevant federal agencies, to submit a report of cases of transnational repression against U.S. citizens or people in the United States. 

According to an official statement of September 19, 2024, Schiff’s bill comes after the 2023 attempted assassination against prominent Sikh activist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. “With transnational repression on the rise, the American people deserve to know if foreign governments are working to intimidate, harass, harm or kill individuals within the United States whom they view as hostile to their regimes,” said Rep. Schiff. 

While the Modi government is accused of committing repeated transnational repression crimes, the USCIRF also said in its report that the enforcement of draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) continue in India to terrorize Modi government’s critics. 

Moreover, according to the report, anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws resulted in the arbitrary detention, monitoring, and targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf.

Throughout the year, violence against Muslims and their places of worship continued. Several mosques were destroyed under police presence and vigilantes attacked Muslims under the guise of protecting cows from slaughter, deemed illegal in 18 states, USCIRF said in the report.

Therefore, in its latest 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). However, in a statement released on October 3, 2024, the Indian government rejected the USCIRF report.

Although USCIRF has been recommending the CPC status for India for the past many years, the U.S. government has not yet taken any action against the Modi government.

Under the CPC status for India, USCIRF has asked the U.S. administration to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and/or barring their entry into the United States.

In September 2023, USCIRF held a hearing on religious freedom conditions in India and how the U.S. government can work with the Indian government to address violations.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on religious freedom abroad. 

USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the U.S. President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion or belief.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.